ALL FOR RENTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 127, 31 May 1937, Page 9

ALL FOR RENTING.

HOUSES AT ORAKEI.

SELECTION OF APPLICANTS.

SHOPPING CENTRE PLANNED

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, this day. Applicants for the Government houses now being built at Orakei are asking many important questions. The most vital, that of the rents to be charged, was answered a few days ago by the Under-Secretary in charge of the Housing Branch, Mr. J. A. Lee, but other interesting points were cleared up today by officers of the Department. Arc all the houses to be let to tenants? This question was answered in the affirmative. At present, renting is the policy for Orakei, though it lias been officially mentioned that houses for purchase are eventually to be provided under the scheme. Several sizes of houses are planned, from four to six rooms, and in some cases there is a sun porch as an additional feature. Four-roomed houses are to predominate at Orakei to the extent of 60 per cent of the total. However, this ratio is not considered to be a fixed question of policy, for the scheme is elastic, and the numbers of rooms in dwellings will be determined in accordance with the demand for the various sizes. The announcement of the rentals has produced a further rush of applications for these houses, and it is obvious that not only in relation to Orakei. but also with the Wellington and other building schemes many hundreds must suffer disappointment. The difficult task of making a seler-tion a writs the Housing Branch, and it has not yet decided on the best and fairest method. There may be a cnnbinntion of selection of the best qualified, followed by a final reduction by a ballot elimination process, down to a number corresponding with the houses available.

Shopping Facilities. A shopping centre is contemplated for the new settlement. This side of the scheme has been receiving the City Council's attention, and the Housing Branch is prepared to facilitate any municipal plans. Tt is in a pood position to do so, for it owns the shopping sites. Pending proposals from the City Council, the Housing Brancli is not dealing with shopping sites, for it wishes to leave the position open in the meantime. Transport to and from the city will he a prime necessity, and is under official consideration at present. There is bound to he a strong demand for this facility, and it will be met in due course. The existence of a wr.ge limitation of £6 weekly operates at present as a statutory bar to some classes of applicants, though the Under-Secretary has announced the Government's intention of legislating next session to make the position more elastic, nnd more in line with rising wages. Though it is premature to susrgest definitely the future amount of the wage limit for applicants, as the question is now under consideration, it may ultimately he decided to amend the law in such a way that any bona-fide worker may be qualified for tenancy of a State house. The difficulty of fixing a definite income limit is shown by the fact that 20.000 Public Works employees averaged 19/7 per day dur*ng a recent month. Tf this was well maintained throughout the year thev would easily pass the £300 mark. Statistics regarding the earnings of the coal miners employed in State mines susrgest that under the present state of the law few of them would be entitled to occupy the State houses, although there is an admitted need for improved standard of accommodation in the coalmining districts.